Truce
by thecowofwisdom
Summary: Set just after Caesar's show: there's an after party and two of our tributes get talking. Please excuse any 'out of character-ness'. There's bad language: don't say I didn't warn you. Joniss pairing because I'm inadvertently shipping them and I don't know why.


**DISCLAIMER: I don't own the Hunger Games. If I did, I'd be rich and an author, both of which are favourable circumstances to be in. **

**Truce**

Katniss was completely done with the sparkles and the bright colours and the general overwhelming nature of everything to do with Capitol. Yet here she was, once again at yet another celebration.

It was the final night before she was to be sent to her impending doom and following the fiasco of Caesar's show, the after party was in full swing. They'd spared no expense: the President's palace was completely decked out in colour and life and food and people. Many people.

There were over a hundred guests including the 24 Tributes all getting absolutely pissed because what else are you to do when you're about to get sent to your death? Champagne was in full supply, generously paid for by President Snow who had spared no expense in ensuring the Tributes were in the utmost comfort in what was to be their last days: small mercies.

Katniss herself lingered by the long expanse of the food table, set up in the middle of Snow's overly sized dinning room and smothered with every type of food imaginable and some that were unimaginable because really why would you put cheese and beetroot together?

She nursed a delicate flute of champagne that was almost empty and surveyed the scene. It was quite late-or early, she couldn't tell- and most of the guests were indeed collapsed on various surfaces. Katniss wasn't sure but she was pretty certain that that was Effie sprawled over Haymitch, stroking his thigh. She shuddered: that was not an image she needed.

It was weird seeing the violent tributes let loose, act like normal people. Katniss had never thought of them as people before. Well, not as ordinary, vulnerable people who were just as apprehensive as her. Yet here they all were, joking and dancing and generally trying to forget.

Speaking of forgetting, Katniss grabbed the nearby bottle of champagne (there was a reason she refused to move from the table) and poured a generous amount into her glass, before taking a long gulp.

Where was Peeta? Last she'd seen of him, he was hitting on her, trying to get her to dance and very obviously trying to get in her pants too. Eventually, that girl from District 1 had torn him away, seeking him for herself and to be honest, Katniss couldn't really bring herself to care. She supposed they were off fondling in some vacant bedroom.

Katniss sighed. She should stop brooding and being so fucking depressing. She had all the food she could ever want and all the alcohol she could ever need: she should go and get fucking wasted and probably shag someone or something. That was what everyone did at this thing right?

So she took a wobbly step forward and wandered round the room, filled with noise and music and empty bottles strewn across the floor. There were a few people still battling on, trying to stay on the dance floor or at least trying to remain upright and Katniss elegantly stepped over two tributes-was that the District 2 with the 11? -Fiercely making out on the floor.

They'd be killing each other tomorrow.

With that sobering thought, Katniss headed towards a slightly quieter room, her head spinning with ethanol and bad dub step as a drunk Finnick tried to handle the DJ decks.

She stumbled into a dark library. Just where she wanted to be: the dark. Unaware of any others in the room, she began to run her fingers over the rows of books, taking care to read the spines. Books were non-existent in 12: a luxury. Of course here in the Capitol they were a commodity like everything else.

'Having fun there?'

Katniss twirled around, seeking the source of the female voice that had spoken. Her eyes fell upon an armchair facing a large window. Was that an arm she spotted? Well, that was definitely the reflection of Johanna Mason's smirk she saw in the glass pane in any case.

'Not particularly' Katniss returned to inspecting the books.

'What are you doing in here?' she inquired.

'Sitting.'

'I didn't take you for the type to passively sit during a party.'

'Oh?'

'Shouldn't you be doing a strip tease or something?' spat Katniss, spinning round. She really didn't like this girl. Or at least, didn't like the way the girl seemed constantly in her mind, specifically in her naked form.

Johanna laughed tonelessly and took a sip from the bottle of alcohol resting in her lap.

'I save that show only for the best.' She peeked her head round the side of the armchair and winked at a paralyzed Katniss. Paralyzed with anger or shock, she was unsure of, but her cheeks were burning bright red so she swiftly looked down at the plush carpet to hide her face.

Katniss downed her flute before advancing on Johanna, snatching the bottle and taking a swig.

'I hadn't pegged you for an alcoholic Everdeen.'

'Times change' responded Katniss. Keeping ahold of the bottle, she rested on the arm of the chair.

'So why aren't you enjoying yourself?' inquired Katniss, slightly less biting in tone.

'I'm trying to forget.'

'Aren't we all?'

'Well contrary to your belief, I'm not an utter player. I'm not willing to offer myself up to these tributes only to get myself killed by them later.'

'Fair enough.'

'And you? You don't exactly seem jolly. Shouldn't you be raving up with Peeta?' Johanna practically hissed out his name.

'He seems to have taken a liking to that District 1 girl. I presume they're upstairs.'

'Jealous?'

'Not particularly.'

'Lovebirds indeed. Snow won't be happy.'

'When is Snow happy?'

'When we're dead.' Katniss tilted her head in assent. Johanna requested the bottle.

'I'm sorry you know.'

'For what Everdeen?'

'This.' Katniss gestured around with her arm.

'The party? What do you mean? I'm having a blast' Johanna remarked bitterly, taking a swig.

'No. The games. The Quarter Quell.'

'Hmph. That's definitely your fault.'

'Yeah.'

'But you pissed off Snow. I'm fucking angry, granted, but small victories.'

'I'm sending you to your death.'

'Look, why do you care all of a sudden?' snapped Johanna, spinning her head to face Katniss.

'I…Caesar's thing…. your outburst…it made me think how this is my fault. I'm sending you to your death…it's my fault and…. everyone's all strong and fierce but inside…they're all sad and pissed and…'

'Shut up Katniss.' Katniss snapped her head up to look at Johanna. 'It's you fault, but no one hates you. I don't hate you: quite the opposite in fact, I think you're hot.' Katniss raised an eyebrow at that, but Johanna moved swiftly on 'Yes, we're all pissed, but at Snow. It's his fucking regime for God's sake! And yes, I'm fucking terrified because who the hell wants to live through the games again? But don't EVER be sorry for pissing Snow off. Besides, if I hated you, why would I strip off in front of you? I would much rather hack you pieces with my axe if that were the case, Everdeen.'

There was a long silence, neither of the tributes willing to break the atmosphere. Both turned to the window, looking out over the grounds of the palace and pondering what had been said. The bottle of champagne, almost empty, passed silently between the two.

It was Katniss who broke the peace.

'You know, you're quite nice when you want to be.'

'Don't tell anyone.'

'You're secret's safe.' Both girls eyed each other in their reflections and smirked.

'So you think I'm hot then?'

'Shut up Katniss.'

'But you did say that right?'

'Katniss.'

'I'm just saying…'

'Don't let it get to your head.'

'I'm not…I'm just intrigued that's all.' Where the hell was this conversation going? Damn alcohol: where the fuck was her brain-to-mouth filter when she needed it?

'Oh? Need an ego boost? Fishing for compliments?'

'Nope.'

'Okay.'

More silence.

'So why are you intrigued then?' inquired Johanna, reluctantly rising to Katniss' bait.

'Well. Why did you strip in front of me?'

'What has that got to do with anything?'

'Nothing at all.'

'So why would I answer?'

'No idea but it was worth a shot in asking right?'

A short pause.

'I want to seduce….Peeta?' Johanna revealed hesitantly

'Peeta?'

Johanna nodded slowly

'Peeta?'

'Yes.'

'Seriously?'

'What?'

'Well, I can't exactly imagine a fierce axe warrior falling for a prissy little bakers boy'

'Did you just refer to your fiancée as a _prissy little bakers boy?_'

'Yes.' Johanna barked with laughter, smirking at Katniss who was grinning.

'I still don't believe you though.' Katniss wasn't letting her change the subject that easily.

'What do you want me to say?'

'What do you think I want you to say?'

'I was dancing for Haymitch?'

'Okay no. Wrong signals received. Speaking of which, I definitely saw Effie draped over Haymitch earlier.'

'Gross. Seriously? Just no, I did not need that image Katniss. Thanks so much.' Katniss giggled like a teenage girl while Johanna grimaced as she tried to dispel that wonderful picture from her mind and for the first time, both of them felt…normal: young girls having fun and gossiping. It was weird.

Their champagne ran out.

'Fuck. Katniss, go get more' demanded Johanna.

'You finished it.'

'Don't care.' Katniss sighed, before attempting to get up. She stood, wobbled, stepped and fell across the chair, back pressed against Johanna's lap as she looked up at Johanna's amused face.

'That was the funniest thing I've ever seen' chuckled Johanna

'Shut up Johanna. Fuck you.' Katniss tried to get up but could seem to find the leverage she needed.

'Would you like help?'

'No.'

'Stubborn much?'

'Yes.' Katniss struggled for a few minutes, before sighing and flopping back into Johanna's lap, giving up.

'Getting comfortable?'

'Yes.'

'Right.'

'What, no protest?'

'Uh…no? Why, should there be?'

'Well. I sort of expected it form you'

'Oh.'

'Yeah,'

'Well' Katniss raised an expectant eyebrow 'I don't really mind.' Katniss smirked

'What?' demanded Johanna

'Nothing.'

'You have to tell me.'

'No I don't.'

'Yes you do.'

'Why?'

'Because I want to know.'

'Did you really strip for Peeta?'

'No.' Katniss raised an eyebrow once more 'I mean yes! Yes!' blurted Johanna, trying to cover for herself.

'Uhuh. You definitely stripped for Peeta' teased a very skeptical Katniss

'Shut up!'

'So if you didn't strip for Peeta, whom DID you strip for?'

'Haymitch.' Johanna responded immediately. That earned her yet another raised eyebrow.

'Really?'

'Yep.'

'You're a bad liar.'

'No I'm not.'

They stared each other down.

'You stripped for me' declared a very, **very** smug Katniss.

'No I-'

'Yes you did.'

Johanna tried to act natural but her mask was slipping. Her eyes widened slightly. _Shit _Johanna panicked as Katniss read her like an open book. They held each other's gazes before Johanna managed to regain her composure, resolving to carry through. _Fuck it_ she thought _I'm probably going to die anyway._

'So what if I did strip for you?' retorted Johanna, rediscovering her flirty, in control nature

'What?' Katniss wasn't expecting this quick recovery.

'What if I was flirting with you?'

'I…'

While Katniss was trying to think of a response, Johanna gently guided her to sitting position, hands resting on Katniss' waist, her fingers just reaching past the black material of her dress and grazing bare skin. As soon as fingers touched her skin, Katniss stopped thought. Her breath hitched as she tried to appear like the very slight circles Johanna's nails were drawing weren't affecting her in the slightest.

'Yes?' It was Johanna's turn to raise an eyebrow and smirking, in fact practically grinning, in victory.

'You stripped for me.'

'Yes I did. Did you enjoy the show?'

'Yes' blurted Katniss, too focused on Johanna's wandering fingers to care what she was saying. Johanna meanwhile was gently manipulating Katniss so she was slightly angled to face her.

'Ah well that's good. It means I didn't do it for nothing.'

'Hmm'

'Do you think I'm hot Katniss?'

'What?' that jolted Katniss out of her pleasant reverie. Johanna wasn't fazed; she merely leant in closer by Katniss' ear and whispered the question once more, breath flitting across Katniss' earlobe

'Are you under the impression, Katniss Everdeen, that I am hot?' Katniss' breath evidently hitched this time and her pupils definitely dilated as Johanna leant back to look her in the eye, still very much in Katniss' personal space. Katniss closed her eyes and tried to gather her thoughts, to rationalize, but this was proving harder than expected particularly considering the high concentration of champagne running through her system.

'Um.'

'Well?'

'Yes' conceded Katniss, cheeks flushed with embarrassment and her gaze lowered.

'Good' declared Johanna, before roughly lifting Katniss off her lap and onto her feet, before standing up herself. She began to walk away.

'Good? That's it?' questioned Katniss. Johanna stopped midway to the door. She threw her head over her shoulder and smirked.

'Where you expecting more Katniss?'

'I...' Katniss began to loose her nerve. What _had_ she expected from that encounter?

'Yes? Are you incapable of forming words too? How ever did you win the games?' teased Johanna, enjoying this immensely. Meanwhile, the insult helped Katniss regain her confidence, determined not to let Johanna have this victory.

'No.' Katniss began striding towards Johanna. 'I can form words, sometimes even sentences.'

'Well that's encouraging.'

'Is it?'

'I would hate to think you were a vegetable.'

'Really? So you like your women intelligent Miss Mason?' It was Johanna's turn to start in shock: where had this confidence come from?

'Yes…' Johanna responded uncertainly. Katniss reached Johanna but didn't stop walking, advancing upon her and forcing her to step backwards.

'Hm… That's good. Now, how shall we proceed Johanna?'

'What do you mean?' she inquired, as her back hit a shelf of books. Katniss placed her hand on the left side of Johanna's face.

'Well, we've just flirted.'

'Have we?'

'Don't play dumb.'

'I'm not.'

'Fuck you.'

'Please do.'

'What?'

'What?'

'That was a big jump.'

'You started it.'

'Did I?'

'Yes!'

'How? You stripped.'

'You took the invite.'

'You invited me.'

'I wasn't expecting you to swing this way.

'Well nor was I.'

'Seriously?'

'Yes!'

'So I'm the first woman right?'

'Yes! Obviously.'

'Nice.'

'Don't look so smug.'

'I'm not. I just don't think I've ever turned someone before.'

'Fuck you.'

'Again, please do.'

'Shut up.'

'Make me.'

'That's so cliché'

'I know.'

And Johanna leaned in.


End file.
